Tens of thousands of Queens residents are without power after thunderstorms reaked havoc on an underground power grid. Mayor Bloomberg doesn't have a clue – or even a guestimate – as to when their now week-long suffering without air conditioning or the ability to store leftover Taco Bell will end. So what's Con Edison to do? Go on a sight-seeing tour and count how many miserable residents there are!

Mr. Bloomberg said Con Edison could not provide an estimate on when electricity service would be restored. The utility company was preparing for a second time to drive down the streets in western Queens and count the number of buildings believed to be without power. It has raised its estimate for the total number of customers affected since Monday night to 25,000, up from 20,000.

If only former FEMA chief Michael Brown had the wise idea to race around New Orleans in a speed boat with a clipboard full of hash marks, that conundrum couldn've been solved faster, too.

Restoration of Power in Queens Remains in Doubt [Robert D. McFadden and Sewell Chan, NYT]